Saturday, November 30, 2013

LOCAL CONCERT ALERT (Haggith), Toystock Preview, And A New Cover Video!!

For our last post of this busy November at the SMS, we mostly have an extended preview of a huge charity concert event TOMORROW NIGHT, but as well, we have a new cover video, and first, a LOCAL CONCERT ALERT for next week! Without any further adieu, read on below for what you need to know!

Local alternative/grunge quartet Haggith have added a surprising penultimate concert to their upcoming plans, as they'll now be playing a set THIS THURSDAY at.... The Station Mall? Apparently, they've signed on as one of the seasonal performers to play at the mall over the holiday season (despite playing their last show just two nights later), but if you're at the mall on Thursday, you might just get a chance to hear some solid tunes! Haggith's set will apparently begin at 5:30 PM that day, with their performance taking place in the mall's east end in front of Sears and HMV. Given the location and nature of the performance, it will naturally be ALL AGES, and Haggith are hyping it as such for fans who can't see their farewell show this coming Saturday night at The Algonquin Pub. For more details, visit the official Facebook event page! The idea of a local hard rock performer playing at "The Centre of it All" isn't as foreign as you may think (Tym Morrison played there a few years back), but Haggith should rock it in this surprise show, and if you're at the mall on Thursday (or just want a last chance to see them without age limits), don't miss Haggith!

Next up, here's our preview of a very big concert going down TOMORROW NIGHT, as the Christmas Cheer fundraiser event Toystock returns for it's second installment at the recently renovated Canadian Nightclub! Promoted once again by Maxx Entertainment, this all day (and ALL AGES) event is to raise money, toys, and canned goods for Christmas Cheer, and to that end, the Stuff-A-Bus will be on site, Santa Claus will be there to meet the kids, there will be prize draws, and Scotiabank will match any monetary donations, which is awesome of them! Admission is FREE with a toy or canned good donation, though you can donate cash if you choose, and all 10 bands (that's right, 10) have donated their time to play for the cause, so who's scheduled? The headlining band at 9:00 PM will be the recently reunited That's Chester (fresh off of their Docks shows this weekend), who should entertain with a set full of classic & hard rock covers! They're preceded by Toystock 2012 veterans Boxcar Junction (formerly Cleveland Steamer), whose own general rock cover sound should be welcomed back tomorrow night at 8:00 PM!

The rest of the lineup (in descending order) includes a trio of newer bands in the evening, including local hard rock quartet Glitch at 7:00 PM, Turner Up successors The Thrill Junkies at 6:00 PM, and new country quartet 2 Buck Beers at 5:00 PM, so don't miss them for a mix of entertaining classics! The three preceding bands are all returnees from last year's Toystock, including alternative hard rock quartet Lucky 13 at 4:00 PM, party rock favourites Stiffler's Mom at 3:00 PM , and cover rock standouts Obsession at 2:00 PM, and you know each delivers at every show, so don't be late! The 1:00 PM slot goes to newer classic rock cover band Redline, with Mike Case's Junior All-Stars showing their developing skills as Toystock's opening band at 12:00 PM. For more details, visit the official Facebook event page and the above links! I can attest to the success of last year's Toystock, and this year's will hopefully be no different, as this is a great charitable event that will hopefully be a big help for Christmas Cheer in the Soo!

On the musical side of things, the mostly different lineup should gain some attention, especially from people who don't get out to see these bands at the bars on weekends! Even though these bands are known for playing mostly/only covers, there's a lot of skilled veterans to be had, and a slightly heavier lineup than last year too, so don't miss out on this year's Toystock! FREE by donation and ALL AGES! For a preview, here's That's Chester live at Rotaryfest this summer!



Finally for today, here's a new solo cover upload from Saints & Serpents bassist Adam Veale! Posted to his dad John's YouTube channel yesterday, it's the Sativa Rose & Valentine's Day Massacre alum's first video posting there in 8 months. This time, he's covering The Misfits' "Scream" on vocals and acoustic guitar, and though he plays it slower than the original song, he has good vocal control and guitar work on it! It's nice to see Adam still working on solo covers, so check out his new video below!



That's all for today, but stay tuned for a likely all video post TOMORROW as we kick off December! Thanks everyone!

Friday, November 29, 2013

LOCAL CONCERT ALERT (Garden of Bedlam), Haggith Farewell Concert Updates, And New Videos!!

Before we preview Toystock in tomorrow's post, we have a new news post on this Black Friday, including some new solo videos, new clips of a Sault Ontario duo, major updates for a concert going down next week, and first, a HUGE LOCAL CONCERT ALERT for next month, so here's what you need to know!

Local metal standouts Garden of Bedlam & hardcore punk quintet Destroilet will join forces for a very intriguing headlining gig on Friday, December 27th at The Algonquin Pub! For Garden of Bedlam, this will mark their first local concert appearance since opening for Airbourne at The Canadian in August, so after missing them completely in the fall, it will be nice to see them tear up the stage over the holidays in their Algonquin Pub debut! Yes, they played at The Rockstar Bar upstairs in the spring, but they've never played downstairs that I'm aware of. For Destroilet, this will be a rare appearance at a show without an out of town headlining band, but their intense old school hardcore attack should be welcomed next month, so don't miss this hard hitting package of bands! A $5 cover charge is in effect, as is a door opening time of 9:00 PM, and you must be 19 to attend. For more details, visit the official Facebook event page! Garden of Bedlam have been missed in recent months, and it'll be awesome to have the guys back to rock the Soo again on the 27th, so stay tuned for updates as they roll in!

Next up, here's some updates on next Saturday's Haggith farewell concert (also at The Algonquin Pub), mainly to note that the lineup for the show has doubled from 3 to 6 bands! As announced on the Facebook event page last night, Haggith, Sykotyk Rampage, and The Danger Cats will be joined by 3 more bands, including members Curtis McKenzie & Daniel Horton's new band Punch, and drummer Mike Haggith's new band The Strange Coyotes! This will be Punch's 3rd local concert appearance, while it will also be The Strange Coyotes' technical live debut (though they consider their Project Legion set last month at The Oddfellows Hall to have been their inception.) It's nice to see the bands that are essentially replacing Haggith at this show in what you could consider a torch passing, so don't miss them! The third added band is named Project 421, and I'm told they're a new local metal band, but I know nothing else, and it looks like there's some Keep It Lit-esque secrecy at present in terms of their lineup. Could they have a Haggith member in their ranks too? No idea, but if I hear anything shareable before the show, I'll have it here! Check the above links for more details, and don't miss this huge concert on December 7th!

We'll close today with new videos, including a pair of new clips from local grunge/hardcore duo Bad Back! Uploaded to singer/guitarist Jamie Vincent's YouTube channel the other day (making these his first local music uploads there), they include a recent jam session version of their song "Lung Bucket" and a video from their set opening for Biipiigwan at The Moose Lodge on Sunday where they played their song "Two Tongues"! The "Lung Bucket" video is solid and has very nice recording quality, but Jamie's facing drummer Nathan Sauve rather than the camera, so the angle could be better in that respect. The "Two Tongues" video was also filmed on a stationary camera, but the audio sounds tinnier and the lighting is too minimal to make out a lot. Everything sounds solid though, and it's nice to get more good quality videos of Bad Back in action! As we already filmed "Lung Bucket" at the Biipiigwan show, here's the "Two Tongues" video, but see more at the above links!



Finally, here's the newest uploads from Ashes To Dust guitarist Alex Hemy, courtesy of his YouTube channel in the last few days! One is actually an audio-only original song named "Walking Away" that definitely strays far from his Ashes To Dust work, though I have no word on if this is the first of a planned full solo endeavour or not. It's a soft rock number that's well performed, so check it out above! In terms of his usual cover videos, his newest is a cover of Lifehouse's "Hanging By A Moment" that makes good use of camera angles and his talents, with good vocal control on the choruses, even if it's not the hardest song going! Check out Alex's new Lifehouse cover below, and more at the above links!



That's all for today, but stay tuned for our Toystock preview and more TOMORROW! Thanks everyone!

Thursday, November 28, 2013

LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (Tym Morrison) & Most Of This Weekend's Hard Rock Concert Previews!!

Happy Thanksgiving to all of our American and Yooper readers, and happy Hanukkah to our Jewish readers! In our second post today, we're back to usual matters, mostly related to weekend concert previews in Sault Ontario (are all the American hard rock bands taking the holiday weekend off?), but we also have a new solo guitar video at the end of this post. We'll lead off with LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS from a prolific local solo artist, one of which is SHORT NOTICE, so read on below to get caught up, and note that our preview of Sunday's Toystock event will be up by Saturday to spread it out and give it emphasis (and check out our whack of updates to our Saultites In Out Of Town Bands Profiles in the post below this one!)

Caveman Morrison frontman Tym Morrison has two more solo acoustic concerts lined up for the next two weekends, including another Roadhouse Bar & Grill show TOMORROW NIGHT, followed by his second appearance at The Harp Pub & Grill (formerly Madison's Pub) next Friday! Apologies for the short notice for this week's show, Tym only just announced these last night. Tym's been a prolific sight at The Roadhouse for months now, so hopefully tomorrow's show keeps that successful run alive in the East End, while next weekend's Harp show (centrally located at the Food Basics plaza on Pine Street) is his first stop there in 5 weeks, though no word yet on if this will lead to a regular monthly arrangement or not. If you go see him TOMORROW or next week, be prepared for solid and entertaining nights of unplugged metal & hard rock covers from this talented local veteran! There's no announced cover charges, 10:00 PM start times, and 19+ age limits for both shows, and for more details, visit the official Facebook event pages here & here! For a preview of tomorrow's Roadhouse show, here's Tym covering Metallica's "Nothing Else Matters"!



Now to previously announced shows this weekend, including the return of local classic/hard rock quintet That's Chester to Docks Riverfront Grill TOMORROW & SATURDAY NIGHT! Last seen on a public stage at Rotaryfest (though they've played private gigs in the interim), these will be this veteran cover band's first appearances at Docks since March of last year, and they could be seen as warm-ups for their Toystock headlining set on Sunday night at The Canadian, so keep that angle in mind! According to the Facebook event page, the band has some new songs to play, and they're also hyping the addition of a keyboard to their live repertoire, but I don't know yet whether an existing band member will handle songs with keyboards, or if they've added a sixth member. A $4 cover charge is likely for TOMORROW & SATURDAY NIGHT, with the shows starting at 10:30 PM, and you must be 19 to attend. For more details, visit the above links!

It's great to have That's Chester playing more frequently following their breakup, so don't miss them this weekend, and for a preview, here they are covering Deep Purple at Docks a few years back!



And lastly for today's previews, Toronto-based Motley Crue tribute band Crued will make their long awaited return to Sault Ontario on SATURDAY NIGHT for their first ever stop (I think) at The Rockstar Bar! Last seen at The Canadian Nightclub, this will be their first trip to Sault Ontario since April 2011, so it's good to have this talented tribute act back in town! Subtitled "The Notorious Motley Crue Tribute", Crued bring an authentic looking and sounding Motley Crue experience to every show (even playing songs live with singers Vince Neil and John Corabi), and if you've seen them live in town before, you'll know that for a fact! However, unlike their most recent local stop, there are no announced local opening bands. Tickets are $8 in advance at The Algonquin Hotel (the price jumps to $10 at the door on Saturday night), there is a 19+ age limit in effect, and a 10:30 PM-ish start time is likely. For more details, check the above links! If you love The Hair Scare and the hair metal attack of Motley Crue, you won't want to miss this show, so be at The Rockstar Bar on Saturday night, and for a preview, here's Crued playing "Too Fast For Love" last year!



To close today's post, here's another new solo performance video from local experimental/hard rock guitarist Mike Cliffe! Almost a week after his first upload to his YouTube channel since the spring, he's back with this new clip named "dn2s", which is another solo instrumental track that he's performing. Again featuring a spoken introduction (45 seconds long this time), this video is a bit heavier than his last, albeit with a bluesy progressive feel and a raw unpolished edge to the recording quality of thr track. Very nice work as usual, so check out Mike's newest solo video below!



That's all for today, but stay tuned for more news and our Toystock preview by week's end! Thanks everyone!

Saultites In Out Of Town Bands Profile Updates (November 2013)

As has become the recent trend, we're holding off on a new Saultites In Out Of Town Bands Profile this month to instead update our past installments of this monthly feature series where we profile bands that, though not from the Soo, have had at least one Saultite in their past or present lineups. With almost 4 years worth of profiles to go through, this should be a long update, so to help cut it down, I'll note that almost all of these profiles have had embedded videos made larger to fit our slightly larger post area. Most of our past profiled bands have had big changes in the past year, so what are fellow Saultites and their bands up to now? Find out below, along with other updates, additions, edits, and changes where need be!
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Phatstick: I mainly updated this profile to note that the St. Catherines hard rockers reunited in May of this year after a 10 month breakup, which saw them return to the stage in Brantford in October. To go along with that, they have a new rhythm guitarist, with Marco Bresette replacing Julian Tomarin for unannounced reasons. Fingers crossed that Jason & Joe bring them back home for a concert soon!

Will of the Ancients: In terms of the Toronto black metal band's lineup, I noted the departure of guitarist Dean Arnold (who hasn't visibly been replaced yet) earlier this year, while mainly adding notes to refer to the forthcoming release of their new album "To The Glorious Dead", which is available online for purchase, but won't see it's official physical release until February. Will of the Ancients remain busy with a number of Southern Ontario concerts, so keep an eye out for them in 2014! Lastly, I replaced the video featured there (of Will of the Ancients live in 2004 with the late David Gold on drums) as it's been pulled from YouTube for unknown reasons, so in it's place is this 2005 clip from around his era with the band, though I can't confirm if he's on drums. Really solid clip though!



Papa Fogals Chair: The only informational edit was to note that members Mike Bird & Derek Turner are now in the new local hard rock band The Side FX, with everything else OK (aside from grammar corrections), as P.F.C. have not reunited in any form in the past year. However, I did change the video, as the live clip of "Trust" that we did feature was lost in the MySpace layout overhauls from earlier this year, and no other concert videos survive to my knowledge. In it's place, I've uploaded this audio version of their original song "Disgust" to our YouTube channel, so give it a listen!



The Sexual Vigilantes: No changes, aside from making their video larger. This project has been inactive for over 4 years, with members/Saultites Brenton Ellis & Curtis Faux still hard at work with their current band, Toronto hardcore punk notables Maximum RNR, so follow them to see what Brent and Curt are up to nowadays!

Feral Noise: Again, no changes beyond a larger video. Feral Noise have not re-activated since their 2008 demise, and guitarist Tym Morrison is still a frequent sight locally at both solo and Caveman Morrison concerts, but a reunion would be interesting!

Sadomasochism: While the information was still fairly up to date (they've been defunct since 2004), the previously featured video of theirs (from their later run with Half A Man drummer Mikey Bishop) was deleted when Mikey deleted his YouTube channel (again, for unknown reasons), which is really disappointing given the solid amount of videos he had there from his bands! We're not out in the cold though, as I replaced it with this video of an older Sadomasochism lineup playing their song "Worship The Dark", and you can also give it a look below for some very brutal death metal!



Levitate: The only edits were to note that frontman Cory Murchison's current local band Skeyes of Seven have played live twice now and are currently working on studio material. Other than that, everything's as accurate as I can get, as Levitate have been inactive for at least 8 years as of this writing.

Necramyth: I added a note to reference frontman Pedro "Urlok" Chae's current role as the frontman of the Spanish metal band Embloodyment, but that's all, as Necramyth have not reactivated since their 2009 demise.

Human Disorder: The only edit of note was to remove references to members Jason Taillefer & Joe LaVergne's current band Phatstick's demise, as they reunited earlier this year. Everything else is fine, as Human Disorder haven't played live or reunited in over 13 years.

Summon: Aside from confirming that they are indeed defunct, I again replaced a video, as like with drummer Mikey Bishop's Sadomasochism videos, his Summon videos were deleted when his channel was. I wish Mikey had left his channel up, the videos were really cool! Regardless, there are still Summon videos online, and now featured on the Lansing black metal band's profile is their music video for their song "Sacred Nothing", so check it out below and there!



The Disciples of Rock: Updates were limited to updating bassist James White's recent local music work, as he's since rejoined Caveman Morrison, while I also added references to his recent work with The Northern Mudsliders and as a guest with Frightlight, plus his sound/production company White Wreckords. The rest was good, as this band has not reunited in the past year.

Violet Fuse: I updated the profile to reflect drummer/former Saultite Thom Edwards' current role as the drummer in the London pirate rock outfit The Gypsy Ghosts, while also noting that Violet Fuse may now be inactive, as they've made no public updates since December of last year. Hopefully they're not dead, as they're a solid melodic hard rock outfit! As well, the previous video we embedded there (a 2009 live clip of their song "RNFNR") has been privatized for unknown reasons, so I've replaced it with this newer 2011 video of Violet Fuse playing their song "Be Confident", so check it out below and on the profile!



Jar.: Updates mostly related to the release of their self-titled new CD (featuring some re-recordings of old material) in April of this year and where you can buy it, and it's a solid comeback to be sure, so give it a listen via the links at the profile! Other notes remain as accurate as I can source.

Thrawsunblat: I made notes to acknowledge the release of their new album "Thrawsunblat II: Wanderer on the Continent of Saplings" (their first after David Gold's passing) plus their recent digital EPs that rework older songs into new genres, while adding some thoughts on their current lineup, which is very familiar to Woods of Ypres' last incarnation. Though still a studio-only project, Thrawsunblat are riding high, so stay tuned for updates!

Hellhitch: Aside from the larger video, no changes. Hellhitch have been broken up since 2006, and I've heard nothing new to add to the already minimal information that we have on their profile.

Kilacel: The biggest edit was to note former guitarist (and Elipzis alum) Chris Webster's current role in the Muskegon, Michigan cover rock band Live Radio. The rest is fine, as Kilacel have not reunited in the past year, though members Luke Ponce & Matt Millering remain active in the similar hard rock band Coldville, who have had their own successes in recent months, so follow Kilacel's essential successors to keep in the loop!

Fifth Way: Updates thankfully didn't include bassist changes this year, but I did note that guitarist/LSSU grad Zak Stelmaszek now lives in Milwaukee, and has since traded cover band projects, leaving Detroit's Cruizin' Jupiter prior to his move and now playing as well in Milwaukee's Superfly. He's still in Fifth Way though (as we saw earlier this year at Kewadin Casino), and I updated references to cover their most recent local concerts there as well.

Mark Rand: I mainly added some extra references to Mark's current Peterborough band project Cross Dog, which has a similar genre to his now inactive solo work, and you saw how entertaining they were at the local Dayglo Abortions show in September! I also added a reference to his recent role in the Peterborough rock band The Lumbermen when noting his extensive band repertoire.

L'anguisette: My only major updates were to note that L'anguisette have fallen inactive for our purposes, having issued no public updates since January 2012, shortly after drummer David Gold's passing. I hope this isn't the band's end, as they were a unique and melodic project that would be nice to see continued!

S.C.A.R.: Along with some updates to reflect recent activity and a new free "album" posting in June, I also replaced the featured video, as the original video from MySpace died when MySpace overhauled their layout, but a live video from a March 2011 concert in Windsor was posted onto their Facebook page a few years ago that can now be embedded there! Featuring Eminem & Cars covers (plus their original "Green Peace"), it's the best live video I've seen of S.C.A.R., so give it a look below for some varied jam rock!



The Northern Ontario Black Metal Preservation Society: No changes, besides making their video larger. The project has been defunct since David "Veillko" Gold died in 2011, and I've heard nothing since relating to a new band project from surviving member Aaron "Platinus" Palmer, but hopefully he's still working on music in some form!

Maximum RNR: The updates here mostly related to the release of their new album "Rough Side of the Dial" in June 2013, which is their first full length non-compilation with Saultite members Diamond Brent Panther & Curtis Faux, which you can buy at this link and at concerts! I also de-emphasized the lack (at the time) for videos of their current lineup, as a quick YouTube search will find numerous videos from 2011-2013 shows of theirs, including at their most recent local date!

Buster Cherry: To make the profile less "wordy" and more focused on members of this band, I removed some arbitrary notes on members Terry Eaton & Vinnie Milosevich's past local bandmates, while also noting that Terry has played in local country cover bands Asylum Country and Two Buck Beers since moving back to Sault Ontario in 2011. The rest is good, as this project is long since defunct.

The Heatseeking Moisture Missles: I noted a lineup change, as the band welcomed back original bassist Nolan Silvaggi in June to replace the departed Kyle Paulton, who moved out west. Other edits were just to freshen up references, as nothing else major has occurred with them since our last updates of their profile, and no online updates have been made since the bassist switch announcement.

Gravity Crash: I only freshened up references to former guitarist Paul Melanson's band work, including adding credits to his more recent work as the latest bassist of Caste of Shadows and as the current bassist of Metallica tribute band Damage Inc., both bands of which also from Lethbridge, Alberta. The rest was fine, as Gravity Crash are defunct and I have not found more extant online pages of theirs.

Jeff Nisbet: No changes, beyond making the video larger. Jeff's solo project has not visibly been updated since August 2011, but he's a really talented guitarist with clear local ties, so fingers crossed he's still working on music!

NeanderTHRALL: In terms of their lineup, I noted the addition of singer/guitarist Kris Kerr (replacing Chris Wilkins), the departure of the aforementioned Kyle Paulton and his replacement on bass by existing drummer (and Saultite) Ash Richtig, with Ash's Line Drawn bandmate Mike "Mihilo John" Kryworuchko taking over on drums in their current lineup. I also replaced the first photo (as the lineup was very outdated), and noted the band's return to activity in 2013, including new songwriting sessions and a new sound to be inspired by Isis, though parts will still need to be freshened up when their current lineup begins playing live.

Infathom: Lineup-wise, I noted that second guitarist Josh Stadler is no longer an active band member, having moved to Arizona a couple of years ago, with the band not visibly replacing him. I also replaced a band photo to reflect their current quartet lineup, and added notes to reflect their 2012-2013 resurgence and pair of regional concert dates this year (such as last weekend's Nick Cam Jam), along with ackolwedging the recent high amount of live videos on Michael Cole's YouTube channel. Solid as usual!

Paricide: For the write-up, I edited references to members Shane Lipsit-Fraser & Adam Veen's recent metal project Sue Inside (who originated locally in 2007), while noting that their newest collaborative project was the London acoustic project Dalliers. Beyond that, I replaced the embedded video, though not as it was pulled, but because I found actual video footage of theirs, courtesy of Adam's YouTube channel from 2007! A promotional video, it combines photos, synched up live video, and one of their studio tracks, and it's pretty well done for the age of everything, so check it out below and at their profile!



The Lust Boys: Lots of lineup notes to get through, so in a nutshell, both singer Jayme Black and guitarist Brian Comeau left The Lust Boys early last year, with bassist Colin "Tommy Thrust" Stuart replacing both, and Derek Dufresne replacing him on bass. Also, via this RateYourMusic page, I was able to add and clarify the names of some past members, including ex-guitarists Dallas Dagger, Johnny Blade, Cody Vandal, and Shaun "A.C. Desylva" Thackeray, bassist Rex Razor, drummer Nikki Neon, and a member named "Coldhands". I also replaced their inactive blog with their official website in the links, and noted their lineup changes and recent activity, including the 2012 release of a full length album. Videos of their current quartet lineup aren't in high supply yet, but I did also add notes to compare Tommy and Jayme's vocals as well, and hopefully we get much more new media from them soon!

Repetitons: No changes, except for the larger video. Repetitions have not reunited in the past year, and the only new updates relate to members Jay Buston and the Soo's own Ash Richtig's current band The Line Drawn, who are similar musically, so follow them to follow with Repetitions' successors!

Mothership: Updates mostly referred to their return after a year's breakup in October of this year (with the same lineup, no less), and they will return to the stage next month. To go along with it, they're even working on a documentary about their work as a Led Zeppelin tribute band, and you can see a preview of it at this link! More edits will be likely once Mothership actually begins playing regularly again though.

Constructed Apocalypse: Aside from deleting their now closed Facebook page, my only edit was to note that former frontman/Saultite Jeremy Hannah is now based out of Ottawa (where he's recently relaunched his acoustic/indie project Like Father Like Son.) The rest was good, as Constructed Apocalypse have not reunited in the past year.

Winter of Silence: I removed their now deleted Facebook page and replaced a dead photo, but as they've not reactivated in the past year, I didn't make any major edits to the information there. However, project mastermind Ryan DeWinter did post an unreleased W.O.S. song "Nar ... Vi Grat Ved Elvebredden" (Norwegian for "When... We Cried By The Riverside" roughly) onto his YouTube channel last year, so I posted that on our profile to replace the now deleted song of theirs that we did feature. Check out this posthumous black metal original below!



Azriahl: Updates mostly related to the release of their debut album last December and activity through the spring, but I've heard very little since on their status (though not enough yet to cite them as inactive.) I will note that members Paul Tikkanen (a Saultite) and Robbie Rogers recently formed the new progressive rock band Goblin Market out of Peterborough, but I can't confirm yet whether they left Azriahl and will be replaced, or if that band is defunct, so I didn't remove them from the most recent lineup there. Finally, I replaced the video there to add this live video from their first concert featuring 3 solid original songs, so give it a look there and below!



RedStone Riot: For their lineup, the band replaced departed guitarist Brock Warber with Ryan Fluharty earlier this year, so that's now noted on the Muskegon, Michigan hard rock band's profile. Other updates related to recent concert activity and so on, but while things been quieter from their camp in recent months (partly due to frontwoman Rachel Kiger dealing with some medical concerns), I left that off the profile to keep it related to their music work. Stay tuned for more in 2014!

Under Earth: Aside from enlargening their video, no changes. This project hasn't been activated in the past year, but project leader Ash Richtig is more than busy nowadays with The Heatseeking Moisture Missiles, NeanderTHRALL, and The Line Drawn, so follow his current bands to see what he's up to now!

The Georgian Skull: Like above, no changes except for the larger video. The Georgian Skull remain inactive, and members Alex Petrovich & Adam Saitti are still plugging away in their current similar band Gypsy Chief Goliath, so follow them for the next best thing!

Beyond Haven: Updates here were mainly just to freshen up the band's current activity, including the release of their second album "Don't Back Down" earlier this year, and assorted other recent shows and events. The only other change was a restored photo, but hopefully Beyond Haven continue on their upward path!

Genocya: For their lineup, I noted the amicable departure of drummer Tim "Speedbag" Sever in May, with Erik "Hamms Of Doom" Stroude replacing him shortly after. Everything else is up to date though regarding their current status and plans, and hopefully 2014's a big year for them!

The Dyadics: No changes, beyond noting their increased album availability on iTunes. The London hard rock duo continue work on their music and prominence, and they have the skill to get them there, so keep tabs on them to follow along!

Bury Your Demons: On their lineup, I note singer Jimmy Shaddix's departure (he was replaced by Ryan Blanchard), along with the addition of John Philip on guitar in February 2012, which we missed originally when we profiled this band in January. That said, the Illinois death metal band has offered no public updates since plugging an Chicago concert in April, and they may now be inactive, but hopefully they're alive still, as they're a brutal act with bassist Scott Mills providing a local tie!

The Line Drawn: Edits here were mostly to freshen up their status, including original material releases, a set opening for Juno winning metal band KEN Mode, and to amend references to their posted videos, as they have more than there was when we originally profiled them.

Brynhildr: Aside from a photo replacement due to a dead link, no real changes. This project was still alive as of June, but have had no major updates since, but hopefully Ryan keeps this project going, as he's a talented black metal musician!

Flint: The only edits were to note former bassist Jamie Vincent's newest local band project, as the frontman of the grunge duo Bad Back. Everything else is up to date given what we covered at the time, but they have big plans!

Lead The Dead: No changes, except for making their video larger. Lead The Dead have not reunited in the past year, but hopefully their members stay active in music!

Caste of Shadows: For the lineup, I noted the departure of bassist/Sault native Paul Melanson just earlier this month after a 7 month run with this Lethbridge, Alberta hard rock band, though you can still catch him live with Damage Inc.. He has yet to be replaced publically, but there should be more to update for this profile soon, including for more upcoming concerts!

D3athcharg3r: I updated references to members/Saultites Steve Rhodes & Andrew Angelic's other band work to note their current side band Saints & Serpents (essentially the successors of The Valentine's Day Massacre.) Aside from a replaced photo, the other major updates reflect the presence of videos of their current lineup, with one now embedded there in place of the music video of an earlier incarnation, so check out D3athcharg3r playing their newer song "Slow Decay" in London below and at the profile!



Cross Dog: All that needed updating is freshened references to their live run, especially as their local debut opening for The Dayglo Abortions in September has came and went. They've since opened for the likes of The Misfits & Fuck The Facts in Southern Ontario, among other gigs and songwriting plans, so keep an eye out for their next high profile work!

Damage Inc.: The only edit was to reflect bassist Paul Melanson's departure from his most recent live band Caste of Shadows. Metallica fans out west will want to keep tabs on Damage Inc. for sure going into 2014!

Life In Shadow: No changes. Life In Shadow have not suddenly reunited in the past month, and even if they had, there hasn't been a wide range for new updates to pop up, but I hope their members stay musically active!
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I hope that covers all essential additions, corrections, changes, edits, and updates on our past profiles in this series! As we spend most of our time covering bands based in the area, the acts in this series don't get the same attention, but hopefully this addresses things I should have got to well before today. Next month in this series, we'll return to normal band profiles, as we'll be looking at Peterborough southern hard rock band The Lumbermen, whose lineup once featured veteran local metal/punk musician Mark Rand! Watch out for that on or around Boxing Day as usual, and stay tuned for news and concert previews at the SMS shortly! Thanks everyone!

Tuesday, November 26, 2013

New Eastern U.P. Concert Videos, Upcoming Album Notes, And More!!

After a few days of concert reviews, we're back to some news and notes today, including new concert videos from recent Eastern U.P. shows, some upcoming album notes, and some recent feature profile updates, so read on below for what you need to know!

No less than nine videos from Munising, Michigan metal quartet Infathom's set at The Nick Cam Jam at Bay Mills Resort & Casino on Saturday night are now on YouTube for you to check out! Uploaded by attendee Michael Cole onto his YouTube channel this weekend, the videos are of Infathom covering Godsmack's "Whatever" & "Straight Out Of Line", part of P.O.D.'s "Boom", Candlebox's "Far Behind", Drowning Pool's "Bodies", Avenged Sevenfold's "Afterlife", Buckcherry's "Crazy Bitch", Fall Out Boy's "Sugar, We're Going Down", and (as embedded below) Pop Evil's "100 in a 55", so click each link to see each video! Filmed at good angles (if occasionally jittery and blurry), Infathom handle each cover well and with nice energy, with Sault-area native Dillion Semasky impressing vocally, but the Fall Out Boy cover (already a clear outlier) featues bassist Keegan Nebel singing lead. Kudos to Michael for filming all of these, so check them all out above, watch their "100 in a 55" cover below, and hopefully the benefit helped Nick Cameron and his family a lot in this time of need!



Next up, here's a new video from Kinross classic/hard rockers Banned! Presumably coming from one of their dates this past weekend at The Rapids Lounge at the Sault Michigan Kewadin Casino, this is of the guys covering Imagine Dragons' "Radioactive", albeit with a smaller lineup than we've seen in quite a while, with singer Tara Starr and guitarist Denny Smith absent. No word on Denny's status with the band, but I believe Tara (who replaced Mike Straw in the band earlier this year) is definitely out, as videos of songs she sang lead for Banned with (both country covers) have quietly been deleted from their YouTube channel in recent days, and though Banned haven't listed a full lineup on their Facebook page in months, she hasn't been present in public postings since the spring. A reason for her departure hasn't been announced, but hopefully things were amicable, and best of luck to Tara in the future! I would like to have seen Banned leave the videos up, as even if the country covers were an adjustment, that was a talented lineup. With that addressed, how does the new video sound?

If Denny is indeed out of Banned too (I'll let you know if I can confirm that), this marks a reunion of their late 2012 trio lineup, and Alex, Don, and Jim handle this cover well! However, like their earlier cover of "Lonely Boy" (their only remaining video with Tara), it's a cover of a very overplayed recent rock song, and I'd have liked to have seen Banned change it up a bit like Late Shift did this past weekend. Still, it's well performed and Alex Traynor's vocals work pretty good, so check out Banned's cover of "Radioactive" below!



Also for this post, here's some news on upcoming albums from two regional solo artists! First (and keeping with the Sault Michigan-area theme), Dafter solo artist Ken "SweetKenny" Sutton is already prepping his 8th solo album for early next year for a tentative March 2014 release date! To be titled "Ink!", 4 songs are already written for it, and some will be posted online as they're completed, but further details on titles, themes, sounds, and album length are forthcoming. Click here for current details, and if all goes well, it or "Cracks In The Wall" could be reviewed as soon as May! The other album notes relates to Strange Coyotes drummer Mike Haggith's next solo album "A Place Of Our Own" (still tentatively lined up for a February release), as Mike released a tentative track listing for the album (pictured) to his solo project's Facebook page yesterday! Six songs are listed with some creative titles relating to it's central concept, though Mike emphasized that like with his past solo albums, this is subject to likely changes. Stay tuned for updates as they roll in for both Mike and Ken's next albums!

Finally for today, here's the last of our recent updates to our Battle of the Bands Rewind Profiles, mostly related to last week's Viva La Battle! On our Skid Row Battle profile, I edited references to third placers Free Beer's 2013 reunion under the name Sarah's Valley, as I've heard from a few sources (including guitarist Dustin Goodall in person) that they broke up earlier this year after only a few concerts. On our Humane Society Battle profile, I replaced Giwakwa (who no longer feature battle alumni in their active lineup) with new local hard rock quartet Punch (featuring then-Wishbone bassist Steven Flint) in the section on current bands featuring battle performers. Then in our profile of the Battle For The Blood, I added a trivia note to reference Viva La Battle, as even though they shared no common performers, both battles had the same promoter, judging method, and guaranteed opening slot at a major concert. Finally, I'll just add that while I could add things to 4 of our past battle profiles to note withdrawn competitors Keep It Lit, I'll wait until they reveal their identities publically, as they had planned to keep that secret until their debut.

Stay tuned for more updates to our monthly feature series soon (including a pile of Saultites In Out Of Town Bands Profile updates later this month), and of course, keep an eye out for more news and notes! Thanks everyone!

Monday, November 25, 2013

Biipiigwan Concert Review!!

For a second day in a row, we have a concert review at the SMS, as last night was the well anticipated all ages concert at The Moose Lodge headlined by Biipiigwan! Before we get to the actual show, here's some notes on the venue, one I've never been to for a concert before. Very plain interior (almost like a smaller Oddfellows Hall) with attendees making good use of the tables and chairs, but there was a good open area for the bands to play in, and I imagine it could get good future use for shows (especially for fans in the East End!) The cold temperature can't have helped the attendance though. Now, to the bands!

Opening last night's show was newer local duo Bad Back (replacing AlgomA), and though they've played live and had one online video posting this summer (albeit of very low audio quality), they were somewhat unknown to many fans, so how'd they sound? Really cool! Guitarist/promoter Jamie Vincent and drummer Nathan Sauve tore through a 6 song set of what I'd call "hardcore grunge", with yelling vocals, relentless riffing and drumming, and a straightforward aggressive approach that was far removed from their past Fuller work! Originals like "Breeding Weak" and "Two Tongues" got a good response and some solid moshing from the younger attendees, and given how Jamie & Nathan handled and powered through their set, there was no overt need for extra musicians to fill out their sound! If anything, Jamie should work on his stage presence a bit (he seemed somewhat quiet and reserved), but this was a solid set, and I'm very curious to hear more from Bad Back soon!

Next up, surprisingly, was Ottawa sludge metal trio Biipiigwan (no word on why they weren't headlining), but they tore it up in their first Algoma District appearance in over 2 years! With the lights dimmed and the crowd peaked, they ripped through a bunch of their very brutal original songs with little room for breaks, crowd banter, or song introductions, and fans ate up every second! Musqwaunquot Rice's guitar work was doomy and non-stop, and Steve Vargas was a wildman on drums from start to finish, with everyone showing a good determined stage presence and aggression that I appreciated! My only problem was that I could barely hear anyone's vocals, especially when everyone was playing a heavier stretch of a song, though what I could hear from Musqwaunquot & Steve fit the material! I've heard a lot about Biipiigwan in recent years, and I can see what people were raving about after their Thessalon show, as they brutalized with a very sludgy and doom-filled set, and hopefully we'll see Biipiigwan back up north again!

Last on the evening was local death metal quartet The Bear Hunters (replacing Giwakwa) in their first concert appearance since winning Viva La Battle earlier this month, and they continued to ride the momentum of their victory with another dependably brutal set! Their 8 song set included fan favourite originals like "Deception" and "Transcend Judgement" (plus their Amon Amarth cover), and while there was no major surprises from their other recent four-piece sets, their talents and chemistry came through as usual! Nik Deubel's vocals were audible, but in contrast, Mitch Sirie's guitar was buried somewhat (though it did help Justin Lam's excellent bass work be heard easier!) I always enjoy The Bear Hunters' sets, and though I would have liked to see them bring back some older originals (like "Casualties of War"), you can't argue with results, and they continue to fire on all cylinders and brutalize as good as ever, so don't miss them at next month's Bam Margera concert at The Canadian!

Overall, this was a great concert to cut through the bitter northern cold, and hopefully everyone in attendance would agree! I did get photos and videos of each band, so click here to check them out or visit our Facebook page, and for the videos, here's Bad Back playing their song "Lung Bucket", Biipiigwan playing their song "Rodentia", and The Bear Hunters playing their classic "Collapse The Sun"!







That's all for today, but stay tuned for a new news post tomorrow, and yes, our large amount of updates to our past Saultites In Out Of Town Bands Profiles this week! Thanks everyone!

Sunday, November 24, 2013

Amy Ellis Benefit Concert Review!!

Before I head out to TONIGHT'S Biipiigwan show, we have a review of last night's Amy Ellis benefit concert at The Canadian Nightclub, but of course, check out our most recent news post below this one! Despite the cold evening on our hands, there was a solid crowd at the benefit already (there was a preceding dinner at 6:00 PM by ticket admission), and The Canadian (now with a new horseshoe "Welcome" sign above the stage) was decked out for the occasion with plenty of tables for patrons! Now, how about the bands?

Opening the show was new local quartet Late Shift (complete with wigs and sunglasses), the new local band from former Fingerbone singer John Barber, ex-Scary Uncles guitarist Matt Sibilo, North West's Clint Wilson (on bass), and Matt's ex-Groove Commitee bandmate Anthony Gagnon on drums. Fans from the early 2000s may recognize John & Matt from the former local hard rock band Redefined, but did Late Shift sound similar? While not quite as heavy (and with no originals), Late Shift did skew towards a hard/alternative rock sound, with covers of everyone from Pearl Jam, The Stone Temple Pilots, and Led Zeppelin to The Black Keys, Imagine Dragons, and The Pixies. I will applaud them for effectively adding extra punch to some songs that I wasn't a fan of going in (their version of "Radioactive" comes to mind), and they put a fun and often heavy energy on their songs, with John's solid singing voice really impressing, but he needs work on his crowd banter. Very solid debut set from some familiar faces, and hopefully we hear more from Late Shift soon!

Second on the bill was Rockstar Bar Battle winners The Suicide Kings in just their second concert since opening for Airbourne at The Canadian in August, and they were back in form with a fun and crowd-engaged set! If there was a difference from their mid-2013 gigs, it was in the setlist, which eschewed many original songs (only "Into The Fray", "King of the World", and the intros made it), with them tackling many of their more general rock covers (everything from The Killers & Jet to newly learned Lit and Jimmy Eat World renditions), though I'll note that their setlist credited an encore song named "Two More Jag" (possibly an original?) that didn't get played. Musically, everyone was on form from past gigs, and while I know Mike Gaetano's been through a lot to help Amy lately, he was in full frontman mode and delivered strong vocal performances throughout their set! Steven Flint was on fire on guitar too, and it was nice to see The Suicide Kings back, even if their set was a bit more varied then I'm used to!

Closing the night was the recently reunited cover rock band Havadder, playing just their second show since the end of their Turner Up-infused 2012 incarnation, and I have to admit, this was the first time I've seen Havadder live in any form. Their set was honestly a bit more varied than I would have predicted, with their song choices ranging from The Travelling Wiburys, Jason Aldean, and Tom Petty to Godsmack, Ugly Kid Joe, and Green Day, but it fit with the previous bands shaking things up! Frontman Jason Roy shared lead vocal duties with new guitarist Jamie July throughout the night, with both handling their songs pretty well (albeit with the occasional lyric flub), and I appreciate that their set wasn't predictable (I can't name other bands in town who cover Better Than Ezra), so that all worked! It was also nice seeing Lucas Bugyra playing live again, and their talents were clear overall (Jason has a nice command of the crowd), so if you see Havadder's full show, be prepared for a nice mix of rock covers!

Overall, the musical portion of the Amy Ellis benefit went really well, and though I don't know Amy personally, I hope the event raised a lot of funds and support for her cancer battle, so best of luck to her, Mike, and her family going forward! As we've learned with Luke LeBlanc & the late Ray Brown this year, cancer sucks, so any help is much appreciated! Photos and videos from the show can be seen at this link or at our Facebook page, and in terms of videos, here's Late Shift covering Pearl Jam's "Corduroy", The Suicide Kings covering Buckcherry's "Crazy Bitch", and Havadder covering The Beastie Boys' "Havadder - (You Gotta) Fight for Your Right (To Party!)"







That's all for today,but I'll see you guys TONIGHT at The Moose Lodge for Biipiigwan, The Bear Hunters, and Bad Back, which is ALL AGES and just $5! Thanks everyone!

SweetKenny's New Album, New Solo Guitar Videos, And More!!

Before we post my review of last night's show at The Canadian Nightclub, we have a new news post on this Sunday morning! Today, we have assorted shorter recent news items, and a bunch of stories relating to local solo guitarists, including two new video uploads and a long awaited CD release, so here's what you need to know!

Dafter, Michigan solo hard rock musician Ken "SweetKenny" Sutton's new album "Cracks In The Wall" is finally on sale! After being delayed twice from the originally planned Halloween release date, his seventh original CD (and third of 2013) finally came out on Friday, and you can now buy it on CDBaby! The album goes for $12.97 on CD, $9.99 on mp3, or for 99¢ for each track individually, so check the above links to pick it up, or stream it for free at this location! Described as a "heavy rock blues style feel album", "Cracks In The Wall" (which was recorded this year at Waterfall Records) has just 6 songs, giving it the same EP length as "Doo Hickey" from earlier this year, but unlike it's preceding 2013 releases, the new CD is all instrumental with no credited guest performers. I got a good vibe from this CD on a first listen, so fans of SweetKenny's past work shouldn't be disappointed, but when is a formal review on the SMS coming?

As we just reviewed the slightly heavier & longer "Perception" earlier this month, a review of "Cracks In The Wall" won't happen until May 2014 at the earliest, as we don't review albums by the same band twice in a 6 month period out of fairness to other bands. Check it out though at the above links, as Ken's prolific and entertaining original material is well worth a listen!

Next up, here's a brand new video from prolific Sault Ontario experimental solo hard rock guitarist Mike Cliffe! Though he's kept busy with his AudioFumes podcast and many Reverbnation song postings in the interim, this is his first video posting on his YouTube channel in 7 months. Posted on Friday, this video is the result of crowd-sourced suggestions to build an original song, and he got some chords and time signatures for this improvised jazz rock instrumental, which he acknowledges and thanks AudioFumes listeners for suggesting and helping with in a 90 second introduction. The song itself is slow and has a neat atmosphere and essence, but it's very well performed and progressive (complete with some psychedelic visualizations laid on top), and fans of Mike's vast array of original material should like his newest video! Check it out below, and hear and see much more of his original music above!



Keeping with the theme of solo guitarists, Ashes To Dust's Alex Hemy posted a solo acoustic cover of Def Leppard's "Two Steps Behind" onto his YouTube channel on Saturday! I'm not a huge Def Leppard fan, but this is a well put together cover with nice layered backing vocals and camera angles, and Alex's singing voice fits the song & mood, so check out his newest solo cover track below!



Finally for today, here's three assorted shorter news stories from recent days, and as usual, these are in alphabetical order by band name:

  • According to the new official poster for the event by Destroilet drummer Matt Waples, the Crued concert at The Rockstar Bar next Saturday will have $8 advance tickets (they jump to $10 at the door), with no announced opening bands. Get your tickets A.S.A.P. at The Algonquin Hotel to see this exciting Motley Crue tribute band!
  • Sault Ontario industrial metal project Riverin (featuring Dirty Virgin alumni Matt Hicks & Matt Clement) have had an official Twitter page since 2010, but we only just found it the other day! As of November 9th, they were working on new music and looking for label backing, so it's good to see the Matts staying active with this project, and here's hoping we hear more soon! Follow them at the above links!
  • Prolific local drummer Johnny Belanger filled in on drums for T-Rex Manning in place of Rick White at Thursday night's Diemonds-headlined concert at The Algonquin Pub, as per bassist Bill Bennett on the Facebook event page. A reason for Rick's absence hasn't been publicized, but he hasn't played a live concert since getting injured in that Roosevelt Hotel incident almost 3 months ago, so that may be related. Sounds like the show went well though, and it's nice to see 3/5ths of Jack Spades together as a result!

That's all for now, but stay tuned for my review of last night's Amy Ellis benefit show at The Canadian later today, hopefully before the Biipiigwan show! Thanks everyone!

Saturday, November 23, 2013

Nick Cam Jam & Biipiigwan Concert Previews, Plus New Sault Michigan Concert Videos!!

At last, here's our last weekend concert preview posts on this very busy weekend in the region for metal/hard rock concerts! Today, we're previewing a second cancer benefit concert featuring local hard rock acts, as well as an anticipated ALL AGES concert in Sault Ontario, but to fill things out, I've also included two new video discoveries from a pair of linked Sault Michigan bands, so read on below for what you need to know!

A very special event is going down at Bay Mills Resort & Casino in Brimley, Michigan (a rare metal-featured concert there) TONIGHT, as Munising metal quartet Infathom and young local metal standouts Tantrym Tyme will be among the bands playing at The Nick Cam Jam! The event (which will be held in the casino's Horizons Conference Center) is in honour of Bay Mills resident Nick Cameron, who's currently battling cancer, so a number of performers are gathering together on Saturday to raise funds and support for his fight, which is awesome of them! Performers will include the aforementioned Infathom (featuring former local metal frontman Dillion Semasky) and Tantrym Tyme alongside local cover rock quartet Chump Change and duo performers Adrian & Taylor Hatfield and Candy & Larry Fultz (unsure of how they sound), while Phoenix Sounds Entertainment (a regional live sound/DJ company) are credited alongside the bands. Admission will be $10, with 50/50 draws and other raffles on hand to raise funds, there is an 8:00 PM start time, and this event has a special younger age limit of 18+.

For more details, visit the official Facebook event page! I don't know Nick, but hopefully the Nick Cam Jam helps him and his family out a lot at this time of need, and there's a solid entertainment lineup in store for what should be an interesting event at a venue we don't cover a lot! I wonder if this will help jump start hard rock shows there? It's awesome to see Infathom back in the area for a second show this year too, so hopefully everything goes well on Saturday, and for a preview, here's Infathom covering Alter Bridge!



Finally for this weekend, a rare public metal concert will hit The Moose Lodge at 543 Trunk Road TOMORROW NIGHT, where Ottawa sludge metal quartet Biipiigwan will finally rock the Soo! Last seen in the district as headliners of a F.A.T.I.L. event in Thessalon in 2011, Biipiigwan (Ojibway for "flute") have a strong local following thanks to their hard hitting extreme metal sound and proud Ojibway heritage, so you know they'll devastate the local stage on Sunday night! The local openers have completely changed since originally announced, but there's solid stuff to go around even still, including local death metal quartet The Bear Hunters (replacing Giwakwa) in their first concert since winning Viva La Battle, and they're definitely riding a wave of momentum right now, so be sure not to miss their brutal set! The opening band will be local grunge duo Bad Back (replacing promoter/frontman Jamie Vincent's sludge trio AlgomA) in their first show in 3 months, and their unique (yet minimal) attack should be a solid fit tomorrow, so come early to see Jamie & Nathan rock out!

Promoted by Jamie and Oh! Right Arm! Promotions, this ALL AGES concert will begin at 8:00 PM tomorrow night at The Moose Lodge (just seconds from The Wellington Square Mall), and admission costs just $5. For more details, visit the official Facebook event page! It's great to finally have Biipiigwan in the Soo tomorrow night, and hopefully there's a solid attendance despite falling right before the work week! Note as well that The Bear Hunters opened for Biipiigwan at the aforementioned Thessalon show, so this could be seen as a partial make-up date if you missed that event! Check the above links for more details, I'll see you guys there, and for a preview, here's Biipiigwan live in Halifax last year!



We'll close today with some new Sault Michigan video finds, starting with a few new Power Slug video discoveries (nice to finally have a few more in good quality!) Courtesy of YouTube user Ernesto Marquez's YouTube channel, these are from one of the pageless hard rock trio's concerts in July at Golanka's Bar (a.k.a. The Bird), and they're of Power Slug covering Puddle of Mudd's "She Hates Me" and (as embedded below) Thin Lizzy's "Jailbreak". Very solid audio quality on these videos, and the band sounds good on each, with Chris Leask making nice use of his vocal range, and he, Bob Helsten, and Chris Gurnoe know the songs well, but the lighting isn't fantastic, and it's hard to make out faces or details of the members (especially Bob.) I can't to be too critical though, as it's been so hard to track down Power Slug footage in general, so I'm just glad to see any! Check out Power Slug covering Thin Lizzy below, and catch them at the St. Ignace Kewadin Casino TONIGHT!



And to close this post, here's a new hard rock cover video from Power Slug drummer Bob Helsten's other recent band project Toast, courtesy of singer Melissa Strand's YouTube channel! Though Toast haven't played live since the summer (with Melissa moving to Ishpeming), a handful of live videos from an acoustic show at (I believe) The Corner Pub Bar & Grill were posted onto her channel in early August, including covers of R.E.M.'s "The One I Love", The White Stripes' "Seven Nation Army", and (as embedded below) Seether's "Gasoline"! Note that as these were acoustic shows, Bob isn't featured, with Melissa joined by guitarist Mike Libertoski & bassist Tony Rogers only. The Seether cover's an interesting adaptation, but they handle it well, and Melissa still has a nice singing voice! Again, the video quality's the problem, as it's from a far dark angle with no attempts to zoom or move, so keep that in mind. Check out Toast's latest videos above and below, and keep an eye out for Mike & Tony's new acoustic band with Tony's former Shift bandmate Amy Beairl on vocals!



That's probably all for today, but I'll hopefully see you guys at The Canadian TONIGHT for the Amy Ellis benefit show featuring The Suicide Kings, the returning Havadder, and the debuting Late Shift! Thanks everyone!

Friday, November 22, 2013

YouTube Channel Profile Series: Shaneuf's Channel

In our second post of the day, we have this month's YouTube Channel Profile for you guys! As usual, this monthly feature series looks at 1-3 randomly chosen YouTube channels that have at least a 50% focus on videos on or about local metal/hard rock artists and events, so you guys can learn more about them and be encouraged to check out and subscribe to them on YouTube! This month's selection focuses on a band that may be familiar to some readers from their late 2000s local tenure, so read on below for this month's profile, and check out this weekend's Sault Michigan concert previews in the post below this one!
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Shaneuf's Channel (http://www.youtube.com/shaneuf)

Owner: Former Sue Inside singer/guitarist Shane Lipsit-Fraser, most recently in the London acoustic rock band Dalliers

Channel Timeline: Launched on September 22nd, 2007; Videos posted from November 2009 through February 2012

Channel Summary: Effectively the official YouTube channel for two-time local battle of the bands veterans Sue Inside, Shane Fraser has posted videos of him and fellow band members playing original Sue Inside material since shortly after their 2007 debut, but all of their local-era postings (including some live local concert media) have been deleted over time for unannounced reasons. Currently, Shane's channel features 15 performance clips credited to Sue Inside from after the band's 2009 relocation to Oil Springs, though the majority are of Shane playing solo acoustic versions of their songs. The channel's lone non-Sue Inside video is of bassist Adam Veen's alter-ego Dr. Jeremiah Rabishi playing his original acoustic song "General Store" from October 2011, with Shane on guitar.

Why Should You Watch: I recommend checking out Shane's channel as it's the best surviving source for Sue Inside videos, as they were a unique and creative band that were about two years ahead of their time based on their extreme metal sound, even if we only saw them as a duo! That being said, none of Shane's surviving videos come from their local tenure (or even feature drummer Jeff Vogel), and few sound similar to that era, but there's some unplugged and jam talent within even still! Note however that Sue Inside fell inactive last year, and there have been no visible signs of life there since, in case that changes your mind on subscribing.

 Our Recommended Videos To Check Out:

Sue Inside - Lost Cave of Corpses: Shane's five earliest surviving & last two YouTube uploads are of him playing solo acoustic versions of Sue Inside songs, including "Falling" & "Let Us Out" from February 2012. To share here, I picked one of the first 5, as they're a bit more creative in lyrical content & themes, and being from November 2009, were closest to their local tenure. To have been featured on a "Living Room Sessions" album that I don't think ever came out, these 5 songs (with such interesting names as "Return to the City of Cheese" & "Hogtail Juice") are all naturally performed in his living room. I picked "Lost Cave of Corpses" based on it's length and creative guitar work (including some percussion slaps), though note that the window lighting makes him very dark, and his vocals are very quiet when used. Still, Shane has real guitar talent and creativity at acoustic songs, even if it was a big departure from his local work!



Skeleton Sunrise by Sue Inside: The most viewed (and longest) of Shane's Sue Inside videos, this clip is one of six jam session videos that he posted between November 2009 & March 2010 featuring him, bassist Adam Veen (on guitar or drums), and on the last three, guest one-skin drummer Craig MacDonald. These were part of a Monday night jam session series during Sue Inside's early Oil Springs tenure, and the music tends to be pretty good, with Adam's deeper singing voice often outshining Shane's in an unplugged setting! Note that the videos with Craig (like "New Jersey") are longer & a bit more serious, but the ones of just Shane & Adam have more of a loose & fun vibe, including "You Will Never Know", which has both Shane's aggressive metal screaming vocals & Adam behind a normal drumkit! For actual live footage of Shane & Adam in concert during the band's last months, visit Adam's YouTube channel.



Sue Inside - Hermit: In January 2011, Shane experimented with some post-production and camera filters for two generally black & white videos that he posted on YouTube, including the solo acoustic versions of Sue Inside's "Green Curry Chicken" and "Hermit", two instrumental songs from the middle of their Oil Springs run. The former is mostly a performance video (almost looking like newsprint with its filter), while "Hermit" is a full on music video, with Shane portraying the title character in a dark and somewhat eerie piece that ends with him speaking to the camera, though what he says is very hard to hear, then fast forwarded. The song itself is fairly repetitive and minimalistic, but the video has a nice atmosphere that would have been cool to see again!


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I hope you guys liked this month's YouTube Channel Profile! As for our last entry in this series for 2013, we'll be looking at two channels for the first time in 8 months, as the first channel we randomly picked only had 2 videos from the same concert, so I picked another to fill it out. With that said, we'll be looking at the YouTube channels of user BurgandyHill (featuring two videos of Bring The Fallen from their first show & battle of the bands win in 2009) and veteran local drummer Vinnie Milosevich (featuring videos from two of his old local metal band Hollow's concerts), so watch out for all of this on or around December 22nd! I'll also note that BurgandyHill's videos are ironically from the last of the two local battles that Sue Inside was in... the joys of random selection! That's all for today, but in case there's no new news post tomorrow, I'll see you guys at The Moose Lodge on Sunday night for Biipiigwan! Thanks everyone!